Every sporting athlete has its own specific needs in order to perform at their highest level. Any athlete must work effectively on the training fields and in the gym to produce the peak of their performance come game day. In this article, I am going to talk about the way in which rugby players could enhance performance by a tenfold and begin to see big results on the pitch. To go down to the very core of things and look at the breakdown of the average rugby player’s body composition and hormonal profile: Positives 1. Invariably muscular, powerful and fast over a short distance (These are called Type IIb muscle fibres). 2. Hormonal profiles are usually high in testosterone. 3. Most positions see players that are lean and lower in body fat than the average person their age. Negatives 1. Liver toxicity may be quite high (As post-match beers are very harsh on the liver) 2. The beer also leads to higher oestrogen levels. 3. Many joint and muscular injuries through the contact that rugby entails. I see a lot of rugby players very keen in training busting their gut on the long distance running and endless amounts of press ups and sit ups in pre-season. However is this really an effective way in which to prepare for a rugby season? A rugby player must be fast, powerful and strong in order to be in the necessary shape in order to perform. The reason for pre-season is to get fit IN RELATIVE TERMS OF PERFORMANCE ON THE RUGBY PITCH. Therefore, they should be doing short sprints and sports specific conditioning work in training. During this phase of training, gym work is vital. Powerful compound lifts are needed in order to improve strength and fitness, alongside with interval work with MST (Modified Strongman Training), again increasing fitness and strength. The way in which to train in pre-season is to create huge damage on the muscle, replenish them and create growth and power. Going into the season, and playing matches every weekend, this type of training will be too much, the focus should be on lifting weights for less reps but still relatively heavy and limiting the amount of DOMS (Delayed onset of muscle soreness). Whilst this is being put into practise in the gym, training on the rugby fields should be all about, in terms of the team’s conditioning, maintenance work and fitness, strength and speed progressions. During the season, to keep in shape, a vital part of success is the way in which the athlete prepares for a game through nutrition. First of all, staying hydrated through water is massively important, this helps nourish your body and also reduce risk of muscle cramps during training and matches. Secondly, nutritional value says you get more energy from fats than carbohydrates. So instead of the traditional carbohydrate loading before performing, where the sugar in the carbs break down and actually in turn cause the body to be feel less energised. Good sources of fats alongside meat are a great way to create energy and ensure the body doesn’t ‘crash’ during the game. During the game, you burn a lot of the body’s natural sugars and can also burn muscle. To prevent muscle loss, a good dosage of BCAAs is recommended before and after the game. Finally, post-match you should replenish with clean carbohydrates; carb shake, brown rice, sweet potato etc.
Posted on: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 09:23:03 +0000